Chapter 142: You Hate Me Just Like This
The filling of hotel quilts is generally down, light as down and soft like cotton, providing extreme warmth. Liancheng was wrapped in warmth and gentleness, her back blocked by a chest.
“It’s not a game.”
He restrained her struggling hands and feet, and spoke again, his voice hoarse and melancholy, “Liancheng, you were never a toy. Those four years, everything you asked for, I conceded, but what about the things you didn’t ask for? Did I truly not care for you? Is it that you can’t recall, or dare not recall, and only by not recalling can you maintain your hatred for me?”
…………………………
Secretary Zhou had spilled his coffee all over himself earlier and was just changing.
A young lady from the secretarial office stood at the door with an urgent report.
“I’ve just received consecutive calls from several directors requesting to postpone the meeting.”
The young lady read from the document in her hand, “Director Zhang twisted his waist playing golf and is hospitalized urgently, unable to attend the board of directors meeting.”
“Director Liu’s daughter was attacked when she tried to confront his mistress, and he’s frantic to get revenge on his son-in-law, so he can’t come at the moment.”
“Director Zhang doesn’t have a son-in-law, but his youngest daughter is dating in high school, and the boy is still seeing other girls. He’s even more frantic to make the other party pay.”
“Director Wang’s second daughter…”
The young lady’s voice grew softer and softer, eventually fading intoaudibility.
The Liang family had been established for several decades, and it was common for directors to have urgent matters that prevented them from attending meetings, but their excuses were always official, formal, and full of the gravitas of powerful figures.
This time, however, it was truly…
Indescribable.
Secretary Zhou was tying his tie, and as the young lady’s voice faded, he too fumbled, tying a slipknot so tight he almost choked himself.
“Give me the document.” He put aside his tie, took the document, and, not daring to delay, immediately went to find Father Liang.
“Six directors have simultaneous emergencies; they are not attending, nor are they abstaining, and they unanimously request the board meeting be postponed until tomorrow.”
Father Liang took the documents and read them carefully. The reasons, one by one, were utterly embarrassing, making his face turn pale with anger.
Before his anger had subsided, the phone on the coffee table rang. The caller ID showed Zhang Youmin, the director who had injured his waist.
Father Liang answered.
A torrent of tears and sobs poured from the receiver, “Director Liang, my family is facing misfortune. My elder brother’s daughter is married to a man who has taken her in as a son-in-law, and that man is a scoundrel. He has taken a fancy to his wife’s younger sister and, while keeping it hidden, has been making constant advances behind her back. The younger daughter, unable to bear it, told my elder brother.
“Alas, my elder brother only has these two daughters. Upon hearing this, he was consumed by true rage, his temper flared, and he had a stroke. Oh dear, now that I’m confined to bed with my waist injury, I have to get up and deal with this. It’s truly—truly humiliating and beneath my dignity, so I can only request the board meeting be postponed for a day—”
Father Liang’s face turned a mottled blue and green, and he angrily hung up the phone.
Secretary Zhou wanted to lower his head, but he had learned from his previous fall and didn’t lower it too far.
His peripheral vision caught Father Liang’s lower face, gritting his teeth, his jawbones tight, his chest heaving violently, as if he were about to have a stroke from sheer anger.
“Fine, fine, fine, my good— son—”
Fire blazed in Father Liang’s eyes. He would rather be misunderstood as a father and son killing each other, causing turmoil within the Liang family and attracting external threats, than to cover up a private scandal.
Liang Chaosu’s actions, not only delaying the board meeting but also making no attempt to conceal it.
He could almost imagine how, with such absurd reasons, those six old foxes would have no face to save, and after a few whispered calls among themselves, they would discover that the reasons Liang Chaosu had them present were similar, and would quickly deduce what was happening.
That’s why Zhang Youmin, that bald man who cared most about his reputation, understood the implied meaning and joined the chorus, making this call to try and salvage the situation, even going as far as to be more outrageous, sarcastically taunting him.
Father Liang stood up and paced the room a few times. After calming down, he walked behind his desk and sat down.
He suddenly asked, “What has Shen Lichuan been busy with recently?”
Secretary Zhou leaned closer, “President Shen has been working hard, actively pushing forward various projects for the Shen family.”
Father Liang remained silent, narrowing his eyes like a tiger preparing to strike.
“Even if Chaosu wants to make it public, there are so many opportunities and excuses, why choose Shen Lichuan as the entry point?”
Secretary Zhou frowned in thought.
In those days, Shen Lichuan and Miss Liancheng were a fairy tale of a wealthy family alliance, childhood sweethearts, deeply in love.
The eldest young master now harbored feelings for Miss Liancheng, and thinking back to the past, it was like a fishbone stuck in his throat.
Furthermore, Shen Lichuan had repeatedly helped Miss Liancheng in secret, from helping her conceal her pregnancy to assisting her escape, and the eldest young master, upon learning of these things, would certainly harbor resentment.
It was not surprising that this was brought up now.
He hadn’t spoken, but Father Liang saw through his thoughts and shook his head, “Chaosu has always acted methodically. If he simply wanted to reveal the purpose and delay the board meeting, he wouldn’t use Shen Lichuan. The Shen family places great importance on their reputation, and at a time when they are opposing me, he has no reason to provoke the Shen family.”
Secretary Zhou remained silent.
No matter how methodical the eldest young master was, he was still a man.
When it came to women, men were divided into two types: those with great jealousy, like aged sour pickles. And those with even greater jealousy, like aged pickled peppers.
Too much vinegar in the sour pickles would, at most, cause acidity. This pickled pepper type, with too much vinegar, had been simmering for four years, so the spiciness and sourness, once a hint of flavor emerged, would immediately choke people to death.
Father Liang tapped his knuckles on the desk. Thinking of something, he suddenly straightened up, “Unless Shen Lichuan did something again to provoke him. He protected Liancheng in Iceland; it could make him so angry. Shen Lichuan must have tampered with something in Iceland at least—”
A sharp glint appeared in Father Liang’s eyes. “Good heavens, I thought I had him cornered this time. It seems my previous doubts were correct. His whale watching trip wasn’t to clear out my men, but to create an opportunity for Liancheng to connect with Shen Lichuan and escape.”
Secretary Zhou was greatly alarmed.
Father Liang had seen through it. Although angered, he could still remedy the situation, and he relaxed.
“He arranged for Liancheng to escape, so he must have arranged for people to follow and monitor her. You send more people, and if anyone obstructs her at the hospital, react quickly. The surgery must be witnessed in its entirety to prevent him from tampering. This time, it must be foolproof.”
………………
The next day, it was morning in Iceland.
Liancheng had her back to the door, curled up in the quilt.
She had refused to communicate with him, refused to share the same space with him since yesterday.
Her resistance was unusually fierce.
So fierce that the four years of endurance seemed like a fleeting dream, all his fantasy. Liang Chaosu had no choice but to back down.
Until he entered at this moment, she was asleep, a small part of her cheek exposed, paler and more gaunt than ever before.
He walked around the foot of the bed and took one step closer.
Liancheng’s eyes snapped open suddenly, and she sat up reflexively. Her eyeballs were red and bloodshot, severely swollen.
At this moment, filled with hatred and extreme vigilance, she stared at him, silent as a stone.
Her entire body was so tense that she trembled uncontrollably, as if another step forward and she would jump up and bite his throat.
Liang Chaosu stepped back to the foot of the bed.
“Are you still going out?”
Liancheng remained motionless, not believing him at all.
Their relationship had reached this point, and he would still let her go out, give her a chance to contact the old ghost and leave.
“Ten kilometers away, there’s a whale museum. I booked it on the way to Húsavík. You can see all the whales, and seals too.”
Liancheng remained silent.
Outside the window, the polar night was thick, and rows of detached villas stood silent in the wind. The world seemed to have only one window with light, and in that light, there was only Liang Chaosu.
His cheeks were as white as Liancheng’s, his face stubbled, his jaw covered in thick gray-blue stubble, making his complexion even paler.
Gloom spread continuously from the depths of his eyes, crawling across his face layer by layer.
“Do you hate me this much?”
